Page 61 of Vodka and Violets (The Hamiltons)

“I can’t separate the two, sprite. Most important for me is that I want to be wherever you are. So, if you can’t see yourself here then I can’t see myself here, either.”

After another long silence, she asked, “What if I could?”

“Then so could I. But you’re tying yourself up in knots. How about we let it go for now? Let’s go hang out with Smoke and Laura – let’s just enjoy being here for a while, huh? We don’t need to make any decisions yet.”

“Yeah, sorry. It’s just… I didn’t think that I’d even want to consider it. But now… Now it feels like a possibility.”

“Then like we do with all our possibilities, we keep it in mind, and we see how it develops.”

She grinned at him. “How did you get to be so smart?”

He chuckled. “It just comes naturally.”

She laughed with him. “And being modest does, too, apparently!”

~ ~ ~

As they passed the lodge at Four Mile Creek, Tori dragged her eyes away from the lake and turned her attention to the map on her knee.

“I know we drove all the way here from Nashville without GPS, but I feel like we need it now.”

“It’s okay,” said Xander. “Smoke told me how to find their place. Once we’re past the last of the houses down on the waterfront, we need to look for the second driveway on the right.”

“I know, but it’s hard to tell what’s a driveway and what’s just an entrance to a field up here. Like that…” she pointed as they passed an open gate “… Is that the first driveway, or not?”

Xander frowned. “I would say not.”

She nodded. “You’re probably right.”

Xander slowed the truck as they approached another turnoff.

“I guess that’s the first driveway,” she said.

“Me too. And it’s no biggie – if we’re wrong, we can always turn around and come back.”

After maybe half a mile, Tori was starting to question herself. “Do you think…?”

Xander smiled when they both spotted a gate standing open. “I think it might be. Let’s take it and see.”

Tori looked around the wooded hillside as the truck followed the driveway up into the hills. “Isn’t it beautiful up here?”

“It is.” Xander looked in the rearview mirror. “Damn, sprite, look behind us. This must be the right place – Smoke told me that they have one hell of a view from their place.”

Tori turned in her seat to look out through the back window. The view took her breath away. The lake shimmered in the sun, and the mountains seemed to huddle around it, keeping it safe.

“Wow! I love it!” She turned back around.

“I don’t think this is right,” said Xander. “Smoke said that we would come out of the trees and then follow the driveway around to the right.”

As he spoke, they reached a T in the driveway, and he brought the truck to a stop. “He didn’t say anything about the driveway splitting.”

“Do you want me to call Laura?” Tori asked.

Xander grinned. “Nah. Let’s see where this goes. Left or right?”

Tori laughed. “What the heck? Left.”

He turned the truck and continued on. They climbed higher, and the trees grew thicker. Just as Tori was thinking that they should probably turn around, they emerged from the trees, and Xander turned and grinned at her.

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